ACOG Statement on Today’s Supreme Court Oral Arguments

March 2, 2016

Washington, DC — Mark S. DeFrancesco, MD, MBA, President of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), released the following statement regarding today's arguments in Whole Women's Health v. Hellerstedt:

"The outcome of the Supreme Court's decision in Whole Women's Health v. Hellerstedt has the potential to impact millions of women across the country. After all, it is estimated that one in three women of reproductive age will have an abortion in her life.

"As women's health physicians, we fundamentally believe that in order to keep abortion safe, we must keep it both legal and accessible. Without question, allowing state governments to impose restrictions that are not medically necessary will only make it harder for women to access the safe abortion care that they need.

"Barriers to care — under the guise of concerns about patient safety — are bad medicine. Women in need of abortion should not be forced to burden themselves and their families in order to get the health care that is right for them. Other needed forms of health care are not subject to these unfounded restrictions and attacks.

"We made clear in our amicus brief that abortion is already a very safe procedure, that the restrictions at the heart of HB2 will not make it safer, and that they are actually harmful to women in Texas. We hope that members of the Court will give preference to our medical opinion when making their deliberations. The health of millions of women is at stake."

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College), a 501(c)(3) organization, is the nation's leading group of physicians providing health care for women. As a private, voluntary, nonprofit membership organization of approximately 58,000 members, The College strongly advocates for quality health care for women, maintains the highest standards of clinical practice and continuing education of its members, promotes patient education, and increases awareness among its members and the public of the changing issues facing women’s health care. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), a 501(c)(6) organization, is its companion organization. www.acog.org